Kevin was just an ordinary guy with an ordinary life. It wasn't always this way, but it was nice to settle down and get back to the real world, if only temporarily. He sometimes doubted that he'd ever meet his college friends, or anybody he knew before, again. But he wasn't thinking of them now. He was reading a new book from Barnes & Noble: "Dragons of a Fallen Sun". He was on page 76 when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?" he said, successfully keeping his annoyance out of his voice.

"Hey, Kev! Think we should have a reunion sometime? Anyway, I'm in a little fix and could use your help…" came the voice over the phone—Katie's voice.

"Um…what, exactly, would this require?" asked Kevin, struggling to overcome his surprise.

"Oh, nothing, really. Well, maybe not. But you won't leave me hanging here, will you?" Kevin cringed. She was putting on the voice that never failed to get what she wanted, and he was glad he couldn't see the puppy-dog-eyes that came with it.

He sighed in exaggerated reluctance. "I suppose."

"Great! Ok, I kind of stole this cab, and I need to get rid of it and stay somewhere for a while," she said, easily switching from begging to a brisk, down-to-business manner.

They went over the little details, and as Kevin hung up the phone, he noted wryly that she still had him wrapped around her finger.

Before she'd even gotten to the next town, Selana's cell phone started vibrating. She snatched it from the dashboard, ready to yell if it were Katie…and throw it out the window if it were Eric. She flipped it open and put it into her ear, greeting the caller with a harsh "Hello?"

"Chels? Chelsea?" the voice on the other end asked quizzically.

Selana's jaw dropped. She tried to say something, but her throat wouldn't let her. She tried closing the phone, but it seemed her fingers were frozen.

No one had called her 'Chels' or 'Chelsea' since high school. And only her close friends called her that, and in private, at that. After she'd dropped high school to 'travel the world', she pretty much cut off all ties to her past, with the exceptions of Eric and Nick. She didn't return any of her friends' calls, and pretty soon they'd just stopped calling. She was shocked that someone still had her number, and furthermore, that she still had the same phone!

"Chelsea, are you there?" She recognized the voice, now. Kevin. The memories were still unclear, though…

"Yes?" she answered slowly.

"Good, you're there. I was wondering…are you in the area? Same state? Because I need some help with something…and I thought you would be perfect for the job." He said everything so calmly, like it had been only days since they'd last talked.

"What do you need?" She was surprised at her own calmness. While she listened, she sifted through her memories to try and identify him more. Kevin…he'd always been reading, and he was a computer whiz.

"Well, I got a call from an old college buddy, and since you always had a thing for mischief and danger, I figured you'd want to be in on this."

"In on what? Who called?" She was getting really confused now. She had no idea Kevin had gone to college (even though out of all of her high school friends, Kevin would have been the most likely to go), and something about him calling her up after years and years of staying away from these old high school friends made her suspicious.

"You wouldn't know her…her name is Katie."

"Katie?" She didn't mean to sound so surprised, but she found it ironic that the person she was looking for had the same name as a person Kevin wanted her to help.

"Yeah, do you know her? Anyways, are you in?" Kevin didn't sound so surprised.

"Sure…I'll be there in a few hours." Selana gave in quickly, not knowing what she was really getting into. She did a U-turn, since there were no other cars on the highway, and started speeding home.

After sinking the taxi in a river, Kevin drove Katie back to his house. She studied the outer appearance with a raised eyebrow. "It looks…normal," she commented incredulously.

Kevin nodded with a slight smile. "I don't want to draw attention to myself. C'mon, I'll give you a tour."

And the inside was normal, too. There was only one old computer in Kevin's bedroom, no huge TV and surround sound system in the living room, nothing high-tech in the basement. "Kevin…are you ok?" asked Katie, feeling his forehead for a temperature. "Maybe you should see a doctor," she remarked jokingly.

Kevin brushed her away, laughing lightly. "Just wait until you see this." He touched something that Katie didn't see, and a little keypad emerged from the wall. He punched in a code, part of the wall slid open…Katie stepped into the hidden room eagerly…

There was nothing special about it. It was just a plain living room with cushy couches and an inconspicuous lamp in the corner. "Kevin—"

Kevin grasped the lamp by the neck and twisted it.

The walls slid up, one by one, to reveal one huge computer on the far wall, smaller ones on the wall to Katie's left, and a mass of lab equipment to her right. Katie plopped down into a couch, managing to smile after a short shock. "I knew it! I knew you had stuff somewhere!"

Kevin smiled and sat down at the main computer, terminating the small machine that he'd placed inside the taxi. It had driven the car into the river and now…

"Boom. There isn't going to be anything left of that thing. I kind of feel sorry for the taxi driver, though." He got up and crossed over to the couch, sprawling across one end like a teenage boy. "I've got a friend coming to visit soon."

Katie forced her gaze from the lab to Kevin. "A friend? Is it somebody I know?"

"I don't think so. Anyway, she'll probably be here by this evening."

Selana was there earlier than expected. Kevin still lived in the same spot; she was surprised she even remembered that. The house looked very different, though. In high school, he'd convinced his parents to paint it in patterns and such, drawing a lot of attention to the house. Selana assumed that his parents had either passed away or given the house to him and moved away…or maybe Kevin didn't still live there. The house was a normal beige color. This was so unlike Kevin…

As she walked up to ring the doorbell, Selana silently vowed that she would make it her mission to kill Kevin if he didn't live here anymore. She rang the doorbell, and quickly noted the normal ring…she was getting more and more suspicious by the second.

She heard light footsteps going up stairs. At least THAT sounded like Kevin—always in the basement. The door swung open slowly, and there stood Kevin, just as she had remembered him. Sandy brown hair, chocolate brown eyes…not very muscular, but Selana knew he had a hidden strength.

"Chelsea," he said softly, careful not to say her real name too loudly, "come on in. You're early."

Selana stepped inside, already a little angry with Kevin for using her real name again. Kevin closed the door behind her quickly. She turned to him. "So, where's the elaborately hidden lab?" she asked after glancing around. "People like you don't change. Show me where it is."

Kevin laughed, grabbing her elbow and leading her to the stairs that descended into the basement. "Right down here, milady. I have to warn you about Katie, though. She's a lot like you. Now, I don't want you two fighting in my house, all right? She needs help, and you're here to help her. She gives the orders, not you. Got that?"

"No," Selana answered shortly. "If she really wants my help, she has to go by my terms. And I'm not going to agree to anything until I know what this is all about."

At that time, Kevin led her into the hidden room. He grasped the lamp and twisted it, revealing the lab. "Chels, meet Katie."

Selana could only stare at the woman sitting in a chair before her. After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, her stare turned into a cold glare. "You…"

Kiara quickly put down a beaker she had been studying. Its blue contents fizzed suspiciously. "I didn't break anything, I swear—" She stopped when she saw Selana. "Oh, um, hi. You…know Kevin?"

Kevin looked from one to the other and backed away slowly. "I'll be upstairs if you need me…"

"Ok," Kiara said absently, though she didn't really hear what he said. Sel didn't pay attention to him, period. She was about ready to boil over.

Kevin left in a hurry, but came back a moment later to add, "Don't break anything!"

"Why did you leave like that?" hissed Sel. "I was worried sick about you!"

"Whoa, hold up. You were worried about me? I thought you hated me!" replied Kiara, swinging into 'Attack' mode.

"I did! But then I didn't! But I'm getting darn near close to hating you again! What the heck are you doing here? How do you know Kevin? Why'd you come to him?" Sel fired off like a machine gun.

"We met in college, for your information, and I came here because he's my friend! How about you? Why are you here?" Kiara felt a growing jealousy inside her. Maybe Kevin had dated Sel once, before Kiara even met him…or maybe Kevin had a crush on Sel…or maybe she had a crush on him…

"We met in high school before I dropped out! Now why the heck did you run off like that if you need my help?" Sel was also feeling a tiny bit jealous. Although neither girl realized it yet, both were actually fighting over Kevin.

"I didn't! I thought I was ruining your life! I need Kevin, not you!"

At that moment Kevin walked in with a box of Girl Scouts' thin mints. He hoped the chocolate would break up the fight, for now. And he breathed a sigh of relief when both girls sat on the couch, side-by-side, silently chewing the cookies.

For another half hour the girls stayed quiet as Kevin provided them with refreshments. It was the perfect way to break up a fight, but he knew he couldn't keep feeding them. Eventually they'd have to work everything out, but hopefully they'd do it calmly the second time around rather than flinging insults and accusations at each other.

Finally, Kevin stopped supplying refreshments, and the girls tensed visibly after Kevin stopped leaving the room. To himself, he guessed where the argument would go, and what he'd do if it got out of hand again. It looked as though both of them wanted to explode, but they stayed silent, neither wanting to break the silence.

At last, Selana spoke. "So, what do you need Kevin for, anyways?" She tried to keep her voice calm. She wanted to totally avoid talking about Kiara abandoning her at the hotel. It was better to just forget about it and go ahead with what was going on in the present, not dwell on the past.

"I'd like to discuss that with him first," Kiara replied, sort of hoping to start another fight, sort of hoping not to.

"Well, I'm part of this, too, so I want to hear what's going on," Sel said stonily. Kevin didn't know what to do, so he stayed where he was and waited.

There was silence for a long time. Finally, Kiara blurted out, "I need some cash."

Sel raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" Kiara, looking at her hands, didn't answer.

Kevin crossed his arms over his chest, his emotions carefully concealed. "I thought you were through with that, Katie."

Kiara tossed him a dark look. "Kiara. My name is Kiara. And I was through with that, until the police started after me."

Sel could have winced at the look Kiara gave her, but she didn't. She was really, really confused now. "What the heck are you two talking about?"

"This is why I wanted to talk things over with Kevin first," Kiara hissed. "See, now I have to say everything at once without any style."

Kevin rolled his eyes at that. "There's no stylish way to admit you were a criminal, Katie."

"Kiara!" she thundered. "I was Katie when we were criminals, and if you'll recall, I changed my name after that!"

"You were a criminal?" Selana couldn't help but grin. And here, she thought that there was nothing exciting about this girl. Selana quickly realized that Eric had thought that Kiara had something hidden about her…maybe he had known more than he told her. Maybe that was why Kiara had run from her…

"If you needed money, you could have asked me," Selana said matter-of-factly. "I don't exactly have a perfect record, either. I have a lot of spare cash."

Kiara glared at her, but refrained from yelling at her. For now, anyway.

That night, Kiara and Sel didn't talk much. This wouldn't have bothered Kevin, as he was used to the quiet, except he knew that both were usually very talkative.

They started making plans, of course. Kiara decided on a bank robbery, just like last time. Kevin would break into the bank's security and make sure Kiara and Sel didn't show up on the cameras. Before they entered, Kevin would gas everybody in the place. All of them would wear gloves and masks, put their hair up, and keep all skin covered--they wouldn't leave a trace of evidence.

Sel joked that only a superhero could mess this up. Kiara rolled her eyes and replied matter-of-factly, "There's no such thing."

Privately, Sel was a little worried about her brother. Maybe there weren't any superheroes, but Eric sure could ruin everything. But, as the days went by, there was no word from Eric, and Sel gradually forgot about him.

Days turned to weeks, and Kiara and Selana seemed to start to sort out their problems with each other. Kevin knew that they were avoiding each other, but as the days passed they talked more and more.

One day, Selana retreated to one of Kevin's guest rooms (which was currently serving as her room) early in the morning after another successful bank robbery. She wasn't quite sure how much money Kiara really wanted, but if these robberies kept being a success, they'd be billionaires in no time.

After changing for bed, Selana was surprised to find that she had missed a call on her cell phone. She never took her cell phone with her when she, Kiara, and Kevin were doing…business, because it might interfere with the job. The callback number was foreign to her; only Kevin and Kiara called her, and that was only if one of them went out for something. There was a little something about the number that made her want to call back, but she held herself back. It would probably just get her into trouble, and it was most likely just a wrong number or a telemarketer. She turned off her phone and went to sleep, completely forgetting about it.

That morning, Kiara couldn't get to sleep. Her mind was too active, the sun was shining too brightly, and her body wasn't too particularly tired. After the first couple robberies, this whole thing was a cinch. They could almost have a U-Haul come to get the cash.

Of course the police were on to them by this time. They were at each crime scene soon after Kiara, Kevin, and Sel left, and they were trying their best to figure out whom the robbers were and where they'd strike next, but this was in vain. The trio left no physical evidence, making the money appear to simply vanish, and chose random banks to rob at random times.

A few days later, they were at it again. The police were getting closer…and even though they still had no idea who (or how many people, for that matter) was behind all the robberies, they were getting to the scene faster and faster each time. By Selana's calculations, she, Kevin, and Katie would only leave the bank mere minutes before the cops showed up. She needed to throw them off somehow…she just didn't know how yet.

Kiara and Kevin were in the living room (in the basement, though, of course) preparing for the robbery. Sel didn't want to tell them about anything she had planned…it would almost be better if they never knew. Both looked up when she entered the room.

"I'm going to go out for a little bit…I'll meet you both at the bank." She said it as a statement, mostly to show that her decision couldn't be changed.

"How are you going to manage that? Walking around covered in all black isn't exactly normal," Kevin said jokingly, though Selana could tell that he was suspicious.

"I'll go out looking normal…I'll carry the other clothes in a bag and change later. Don't worry; I know what I'm doing. I can pull it off."

Kiara nodded, but glanced at Kevin. She was suspicious, too. "Just don't be late, and try not to attract attention." She said it as almost an afterthought, and got back to working.

Kevin and Katie finished the plans soon enough, and Katie plopped herself down on the sofa with a new book (bought with stolen money, no doubt). Kevin sat down beside her and waited until she was so deeply absorbed in the book that she would be distracted from the outside world and him.

"So," Kevin commented, pausing for a moment. Katie didn't react. The time was right.

"So," he repeated. "Here we are…alone…"

She still didn't respond—so far so good.

"We've been 'just friends' for a while now, haven't we?"

"What?" Katie muttered, not really listening.

"We're just friends, right?"

"Yeah," Katie mumbled.

"Friends…"

"Uh huh."

"…With benefits?"

"Yep."

Kevin grinned and planted a kiss on Katie's cheek. She promptly slapped him.

"What the heck are you doing?" she yelled, trying very hard not to blush but failing miserably.

"You said I could…" Kevin replied, pretending to be very hurt.

"I did not! I—hold on…you tricked me!"

This led to a wild chase around the basement, in which several beakers in the lab came near to breaking. By the time Sel returned, Katie and Kevin were sprawled across the couch, much out of breath. It was easy for Sel to get the wrong idea.

Selana froze once she got to the doorway. At first she was just shocked upon seeing Katie and Kevin laughing on the couch, panting for breath, but then her cheeks flushed, partially from anger, and partly from embarrassment for intruding. A million thoughts ran through her mind in a few seconds.

When they looked up at her, Katie instantly sprang up from the couch, frantically telling Selana some excuse that she wasn't even hearing…

Without a word, Selana glared at Katie and left the room, storming up to her room, slamming the door, and locking herself in.

She couldn't believe this. She'd left to throw off the cops, hoping to win Kevin's respect and attention, just to come home to he and Katie…doing who-knows-what.

A few moments later, Selana heard light knocking on the door. She ignored it; she knew it was Katie, still trying to tell her what her excuse was. And even if Sel did listen to her excuse, there was no way she was ever talking to Katie again. She figured if she just ignored the knocking, Katie and Kevin would eventually just leave her alone. Plans for revenge were already forming in her mind. Maybe, instead of throwing the police off like she'd planned, she'd lead them right to them…

Kiara, sitting on the couch again, blamed Kevin for all of this. If he'd just gotten over her a long time ago, nothing like this would've happened! She refused to admit to herself that she still had a crush on him.

Kevin went downstairs and, as he sat down on the other end of the couch, Kiara got up and went upstairs. He stared after her, wondering why she was mad at him. He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? They were just having fun, like in college; if Sel hadn't interrupted them, maybe Kiara would've gone out with him again!

As she went by Sel's room, Kiara stopped to knock. There was no response, and she started to say something, but she stopped. Sel wouldn't listen to her. Why should she?

They robbed the next bank on schedule, but there was none of the usual joking between them. None of them spoke at all. They all just did their work, and did it fast, and then they were driving off in a stolen car. As usual, they dropped it off about halfway home and switched to Kevin's nondescript, neither fancy nor junky car. Kevin was driving, and there was a bit of glaring done in deciding who should sit up front with him. In the end, both girls sat in the back, as far away from each other as they could.

The instant they arrived at Kevin's house, Selana retreated to her room. She didn't bother to take her share of the money; at the moment, it really didn't matter. She was actually considering taking her share of the overall profit and leaving without telling Katie and Kevin. She wasn't having anymore fun, that was certain, and she worked a lot better by herself.

As she was thinking this through, Sel's cell phone started to ring. With irritation, she looked to see that it was the same person who had been trying to get a hold of her for days. She still had no idea who it was; she never picked up for fear that it would lead the authorities to them. But today, curiosity got the best of her, and she received the call.

"Hello?"

"Sel! Finally! Where have you been?"

She paused for a moment before asking, "Who is this?"

"Are you serious? C'mon, love…it's Nick! You've been missing for days…are you all right?"

Of course. Nick, her ex-boyfriend. She hadn't really broken up with him…just left. She'd tried so hard to forget her life with Eric and Nick that she couldn't recognize Nick's number when he'd called. But why had he waited so long to call her? She voiced her question over the phone.

He sighed, but his voice was still full of concern. "I thought that Eric needed you or something, and that's why you left so abruptly. I thought it was kind of weird that you didn't call or tell me…but I figured that whatever that Kiara girl said to you had you so upset that you didn't want to talk to me. It was when Eric came by looking for you that I knew something happened…where are you, Sel? Eric really wants to see you…"

A million thoughts ran through her mind. Eric was looking for her…and apparently he was hoping that Nick would lead him to her. She needed time to think about this…

"Look, Nick…all you need to know is that I'm all right. I can't tell you where I am just yet, but I'm okay. I'll call you back later." And without even listening to his goodbye, she hung up the phone.

Downstairs, Kiara put her finger on a location on a map. "Last one," she said firmly.

Kevin glanced from the dot on the map to Katie. "Last one? But we've been having so much fun…"

Kiara looked up at him, noting the little smile he was trying to hide. "Not anymore. If we don't stop soon, we'll all hate each other till the end of time. That'd be too dangerous, always scared that one of your friends is going to turn you in."

"Oh, c'mon, Sel's not that mad…"

"Are you sure? Look, I don't know her very well, but I think I can tell when she's upset. We have to fix everything up between us soon, because she's the biggest threat to us."

Sel, standing around the corner outside the doorway, listened intently to them.

"I know that…" Kevin paused for a moment before continuing, "Remember Jane and Mike?"

"Yeah, what'd they do with their money? They were a lot of fun. They got married, right?" Jane and Mike were friends from college. What had started as a double date with them turned into a great friendship, which in turn led to the four friends' successful, though short, lives as criminals. Kiara hadn't heard from them for years.

"They…well…they did marry, but then Jane found out Mike had cheated on her around the time I met them…she turned him in to the police, and then he turned her in…they're in jail now."

Sel listened to the silence.

"How…how do you know that?" Kiara asked after a while.

"You were the one who disappeared, not me. I kept up with them—up until things got nasty…then I just read about them in the paper." There was more silence, and then Kevin added, "We should go visit them sometime, try and cheer them up."

"Are you kidding? The minute we go in there they'll turn us in out of spite that we escaped prison and they didn't!"

There was a small noise, as of somebody clearing their throat, and Sel stepped into the room.

"What's going on?" Selana asked as she sat down in a chair next to the couch Kiara and Kevin were sitting on. Her tone was casual, and she was smiling; she wouldn't let Kiara and Kevin's relationship—whatever it was—bother her. She still had Nick, and nothing Kiara had said would change that. She still trusted him, no matter what.

Kiara hesitated; it seemed weird that Sel would suddenly be in a good mood, especially after not talking to her or Kevin in days. "We were just…talking about robbing the last bank."

"Our last? Good." Sel nodded in approval. This was good news. That way, she could leave and go meet Nick somewhere without looking like she was up to something. Even so, she felt a small stab of jealousy and distaste when Kevin edged closer to Kiara, seemingly taking a better look at the map.

Maybe she wouldn't plan anything…it might be better just to play on this by instinct.

The three criminals' out-on-the-town wardrobe was, not surprisingly, all black. They each had black boots, black suits that made all three look like men, gas masks, goggles, ski masks, the works. Not one bit of their bodies could show, not the smallest particle of skin could be left behind. For communication purposes, each also had a small microphone underneath their headgear.

Kevin was, as usual, the first one on the scene—he had to be in the security room to trigger the gas and shut off the cameras. Sel and Kiara, upon entering, were two of the three conscious people in the building. They went to the vaults with bags to collect as much money as they could carry.

Partway through her third bag, Kiara stopped. "Sel? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Must've been my imagination…"

The two continued, but Kiara's ears were now pricked to the slightest sound. She stopped again and looked at the doorway. "I heard footsteps."

Sel stopped and listened, but shook her head. "I don't hear anything, Kiara. Let's just hurry up and get out of here."

Kevin heard all of this through his headset and checked the security cameras, but by the time he spotted the two unfamiliar figures clad in black, they'd already knocked out Sel and Kiara. He had to strangle a cry, lest they heard him, as he watched them carry the two out. Tense, he checked all of the cameras again, but nobody else remained. They didn't know he was there.

Sel and Kiara came to in the back of a moving van, arms and legs tied tightly behind them, all headwear removed, surrounded by bags of money. They both quickly noticed that Kevin wasn't there. Two men sat up front, one with blond hair driving, and one with black hair sitting next to him. Sel gasped a little in surprise, and the black-headed one turned to look at them. "Finally awake?" he said, flashing them a cocky smile, his blue eyes fastened on Sel.